Jaded Soul Remastered
by ndjs
Summary: When Rouge finds a strange hedgehog locked in stasis, the two are thrown into a race against time to unravel the past and save the future as they protect the town of Southside against a new evil.
1. Unexpected Findings

**Hey Guys! This is a fanfiction that a friend asked me to adopt for her, so here we are, with her permission, "Jaded Soul Remastered"** **based off some of Tibzonoa's pictures on DA. That said the pictures used in this story are his.**

 **The picture that inspired this story the most was called "** **Hrwar** "

 **The songs that inspired it the most was "The Moss" by Cosmo Sheldrake and "TIN - Ticking."**

 **This is my first fanfiction so the grammar and spelling might be off at times. If the characters are a bit OOC I'm sorry it's hard to do all the research required to make it coherent.**

 **On with the story!**

 **Chapter One: Unexpected Findings**

" _Where is that Chaos Emerald?!"_ Rouge silently stole through the facility, quietly cursing to herself while doing so. There had to be a room where her beautiful gemstone target was hidden around here _somewhere_ …

As she tiptoed around the corner, Rouge realized that it would be both quicker and quieter if she flew. Being a bat had perks like that. Taking to the air in a graceful swoop, she used her midnight colored wings to glide down the hallways making absolutely no sound at all except for occasional wing beat.

' _Ahh, this is the life'',_ She thought. ' _Grabbing shiny stuff, going back to town, then a cup of nice hot tea…'_ the bat daydreamed of what type of tea she would make when she got back.

Rouge was, if you may, a self proclaimed treasure hunter _(cough)_ gem thief. She hopped around, mostly grabbing shiny things for her personal collection, but at times became an excellent bounty hunter for hire. Because of this she led more or less comfortable life by herself when not on the road.

Soon after taking flight, Rouge found the place she was looking for; Room 186. The Chaos energy levels were so high in this room that it was reasonable to assume that at least one emerald was inside.

' _Time to be free my little jewel!,'_ the white bat thought as she karate kicked the door open.

Once inside, Rouge looked around the large space she found herself in. Surprisingly, the only thing that she saw was a pedestal with the white emerald on it and a large glass capsule in the center of the room. The tube was filled with liquid, and inside a blurry black shape floated.

' _What's this?'_ Rouge thought as she grabbed the emerald and approached the glass cylinder. The luminous jade color of the liquid inside made her greedily think of more Emeralds, but she knew that if there were any more of the powerful gemstones there they would be on pedestals like the white one.

As she carefully made her way towards the tube, Rouge noticed that there was a keypad next to the it. When she reached it, the bat wondered if whatever was inside was of any value.

' _It's locked in a top-secret lab for crying out loud, it must be worth something!'_

' _True, very very true',_ Rouge mused as she gazed at the keypad. ' _What's the code? Maybe it's..._

.. _Chaos_.' The idea came to Rouge as if it were the simplest thing in the world. ' _The password is Chaos.'_

 _'Worth a shot.'_

Rouge inputted the word effortlessly and watched as the swirling liquid drained away from the object it encapsulated. As soon as it finished, Rouge recognized the thing in the tube. The glass retracted, and out tumbled a…

' _Is that a…. hedgehog?'_

It was indeed a hedgehog, black with red stripes along his quills, arms and legs, and golden rings hanging around his wrists and ankles. He slumped to the floor, obviously still unconscious.

Rouge didn't know how to react, so in her confusion she backed out the door, only to discover that a team of badnik guards were waiting for her outside.

" _ **Give us the emerald."**_ The largest badnik said in its typical monotone voice.

"No," Rouge said as she got into a battle stance. "It's my new baby, and I'm not putting it up for adoption!"

The robot pulled back it's gigantic hammer, aiming it as Rouge, uttering the words " _ **then prepare to die."**_

All the other robots readied themselves as well, powering up various firearms. They all then pointed their weaponry at Rouge, who gulped, knowing this was not going to be easy fight at all.

 _ **But then…..**_

Just as they opened fire, strong hands grabbed the bat's waist and picked her up, bridal style. Rouge looked up in awe to discover that it was the black hedgehog from before, now wide awake and determined, running down the corridor at an incredible speed while holding Rouge in his arms, which amazed her.

' _The only person I've heard of that can run that fast is..'_

Suddenly Rouge was tossed upwards, where she began to flap her wings to stay airborne. She was about to comment on how rude it was to toss someone you just met into the air, but when she looked down Rouge realized that the hedgehog had done it to get her out of the way of the oncoming wave of robots that were now surging towards him.

' _He just woke up, he won't be able to fight, if he even knows how',_ She thought, ' _and I don't know if he was even ever awake before this. Maybe I can…. WOAH!'_

Rouge was jerked out of her thoughts as she watched the ebony hedgehog use the emerald she had dropped to Chaos Control through the crowd of badniks. He then lifted his eyes to Rouge and said:

" _Get out of the way!"_

The white bat was about to ask what he meant by that, but then she heard the words that explained his actions.

 _ **"CHAOS BLAST!"**_

 **Well, that's it for the first chapter. I hope you liked it. Like I said, creative downfall.**

 **Comment and review!**

 **Next up: "Eyes of Fire"**


	2. Eyes of Fire

**Chapter Two: Eyes of Fire**

Angry red energy blossomed in front of Rouge's eyes as the Chaos Blast swept through the crowd of badniks. Every single one of the robots was shredded in seconds. The sound was loud enough to shake the walls of the building, and Rouge was shuddering just the same. The albino bat knew that Chaos Blast was possible, but had never witnessed the maneuver for herself. The results were terrifying, almost scarring in the right circumstances.

Such as now.

Rouge suddenly remembered the cause of the explosion and turned to look at the black hedgehog. When she did she saw that he was watching her with curious eyes, following her every movement.

Rouge looked at the male with the same level of curiosity, and after a moment their eyes met. Rouge slowly began to move towards her savior, taking careful steps as not to startle him. When she was about three feet from him Rouge stopped, blue eyes locked. Now that she was closer the bat could see that the hedgehog's eyes were a peculiar shade of red, dancing on the edge of orange but somehow staying crimson, resulting in a scorching ruby color.

' _I've never seen a mobian with eyes like_ _ **that**_ _before... Come to think of it I've never seen a mobian with coloring similar to his, '_ Rouge mused, _I wonder...?_

"Who are you?" For the second time that day Rouge's train of thought was suddenly interrupted. She turned her attention back to the male in front of her, who had spoken without being rushed for the first since they met.

"Who are you?" he repeated, glancing at the bat standing in front of him. Although his voice was quite deep, the question itself held the essence of a child. Rouge tilted her head to the side and said, with just a hint of grandeur;

"I'm Rouge the Bat, at your service. May I ask what your name is in return?"

The ebony hedgehog tilted his head as well, clearly thinking hard. His name was a bit lost on him at the moment, since he couldn't seem to remember much of anything before meeting this strange bat.

' _That's a very good question actually...maybe it's, I REMEMBER!_

He raised his head back to its original position and clearly stated his next words, as if holding them out to make sure they where real.

"I'm Shadow, Shadow the hedgehog."

...

"Alright Shadow, you can stay in here". Rouge was showing her newfound companion the guest bedroom, which was already equipped to have someone in it. She just didn't have the heart to leave him back at the lab.

"Thank you, Rouge". Shadow was not a talkative person it seemed, but he was somehow still managing to show gratitude every _single_ chance he got.

When leaving the lab.

When they got home.

A few minutes _after_ they got home. It was like he wanted to make sure Rouge knew the exact extent of his thanks.

A few minutes later, Rouge was in the kitchen, chopping lettuce for a salad. She didn't know Shadow had come in until the dark hedgehog was standing next to her. He was watching her cut the vegetables with a knife, blood red eyes fixed and intent. After a moment he spoke.

"May I?" He nodded towards the sharp instrument in Rouge's hands, asking permission to take it.

"Yes", Rouge handed the knife to Shadow, who took it and began to slice a cucumber. Soon his hand was moving in a blur, and the cucumber was reduced to a pile of circular cross-sections.

Rouge studied the way Shadow was holding the knife, and how quickly and precisely he was cutting the vegetable in front of him. The action of offering to do the chore gave the bat a warm feeling inside her heart she couldn't explain, and almost blushed thinking about.

' _Although Shadow doesn't seem to remember anything before meeting me, judging by the way he handled those badniks and now the knife, he's obviously had some sort of combat training before he was placed in that pod.'_

 _..._

Later, when she was just falling off to sleep, a heart-wrenching scream yanked Rouge out of her sleep later that night, and she rushed to the guest bedroom where it seemed to originate. There, huddled in the corner in a tight little ball, was Shadow. He had only one emotion in his eyes.

Fear.

 **Woohoo, another chapter is done.**

 **HERE WE GO, YOU KNOW WHATS COMING!**

 **LIKE, READ AND REVIEW! Don't hold back folks, give me everything you got! Scathing remarks, loving reminders, I MEAN EVERYTHING!**

 **Next up: Memories**


	3. Memories

**Hey dearest darlin' readers, it's me, InkySilhouette.**

 **So, quick disclaimer, I don't own any characters, or Walmart for that matter...**

 **Anyway, I will try and tell you at the beginning of the chapter, but some chapters will reference stuff that happened in another fanfic "Life could have been so different" but yeah, you should go check it out. If you're a Shadow fan especially.**

 **One more thing, this story is NOT CANON. It takes place in an AU where Maria lives and Shadow has a fam...!**

 **Shadow: Quiet fool! (Why, hello Sonic Boom) don't ruin the surprise!**

 **InkySilhouette: Fine. (grumpy face)**

 **On with the story!**

 **Chapter Three: Memories**

While to Rouge it looked like Shadow was looking at her, he was actually looking through her, at something no one else but him could see.

He had gone to bed and started to drift off to sleep easily. But then he started to see and hear things, things that he couldn't remember beforehand, that had happened in the past but felt like they were happening again. He was reliving forgotten memories, memories that were absolutely terrifying.

...

 _Two soldiers approached a trembling form in the corner, and one of them reached out with the butt of his gun and jabbed the thing. It uncurled, revealing itself to be a hedgehog, looking up at the evil men standing over him with large ruby eyes._

" _Get up!" The man said._

 _All the hedgehog could do was stare up at them in wonder. He was obviously confused and frightened._

" _I said get up!" The man spoke again, but louder and harsher. He kicked the little ebony hedgehog, who yelped at the blow. The man nodded at his partner and they grabbed his arms, pulling the hedgehog to his feet. The small creature squeaked, now completely petrified in fear._

" _Should I put it on him?" The other asked._

" _Yes." The soldier who had dealt the kick pulled out a leash and collar, handing them to his partner._

 _As the man fastened the thick metal thing around the hedgehog's neck, he whimpered. He was scared of these men but would go with them without the aid of the heavy piece of metal._

 _The soldiers by then were ready to head off so they yanked the chain that was connected to the collar. The hedgehog whimpered again, following them close behind to show his willingness to be good._

 _After a bit, the trio reached a door, and one of the men entered a code on a small panel, and the door silently slid open._

 _The little one peeked inside, forever curious despite his current predicament. He was surveying the many pieces of strange medical equipment inside, but then he heard a noise. A stepping noise. He looked up to see a large man in a lab coat standing over him. With a syringe in his hand._

...

Back in the present _,_ Rouge was trying to calm down Shadow, who had begun to thrash violently.

" _He must be having a night terror,"_ Rouge realized, having witnessed that type of dream before. " _The only thing to do is let the dream run its course," s_ he thought, " _Oh! I remember that mother said putting cold water on the victim's feet and chest can help sometimes."_

Rouge left the room and returned a moment later with a basin of water and a washcloth. She set both on the ground next to Shadow, who at the moment was slightly less scared, but still withering and moaning as if someone was hurting him.

Rouge dipped the washcloth in the cool water and was about to wipe his feet with it when the male hedgehog howled, clutching his right arm.

...

 _The man in the lab coat grabbed the little one's arm and stuck the needle in it, quickly injecting the clear fluid inside the syringe. In a matter of seconds, the hedgehog_ _went limp, and the man picked him up and set him on a lab table._

" _Prof. Gerald, do you require our assistance any longer?"_ _one_ o _f the soldiers asked._

" _No", Prof. Gerald looked up, dark glasses hiding sharp blue eyes, "I do not require your assistance any longer. Please leave"._

 _The professor then turned back towards the raven furred animal before him, eyes looking him over with glee. He had seen the anthropomorphic species that shared the planet with them, Mobians as they liked to be called, before._

 _But this hedgehog had been found all by itself out in the woods, no one with it. Prof. Gerald had been in need of a test subject for his next project, and the little mobian seemed perfect._

 _Prof. Gerald had never seen a mobian hedgehog up close before, let alone examine one, so he was especially excited. He put on a pair of lab gloves and looked down at the peaceful child._

 _He almost felt guilty about what he was doing._

 _But that faded quickly. The purpose of this project was to create the ultimate weapon, and that was what he was going to do._

 _The Professor leaned slightly over the examination table, and gently flipped over the hedgehog_. _This gave him a good view of his downward facing quills and back spines._

 _He reached forward and fingered one of the hard, razor-sharp points, admiring the coal black coloring._

 _The Prof. Continued watching the little hedgehog for a moment. Yes, he was..._

" _...Perfect."_

...

Rouge was busy rubbing the cold washcloth on Shadow's chest, in an attempt to soothe him.

Although it was a bit awkward for the bat to be touching the hedgehog there, she had to admit, the tuft of fluffy white fur was _**very**_ soft, and he seemed to actually be calming down.

Soon, the ebony male sat up, blinking his blurry eyes.

"What happened there Shadow?" Rouge asked.

Shadow looked her straight in the eyes and breathed a deep breath.

"I remembered something."

 **Oh Ho ho ho ho! My angsty senses are tingling! (Big-ol Block o'copyright hits me in the head.)**

 **Shadow: Well, Inky is down for the count, so I guess the closing is up to me. LIKE COMMENT AND REVIEW!**

 **Next up: Vanishing Bleak**


	4. Vanishing Bleak

**Hey Everyone! It's me! Your resident much loved/hated wannabe edgelady! And a triple upload! Man I love you guys!**

 **Shadow: "We just wanted to say thank you for reading this story, whoever you are, it means a lot to Inky. "**

 **InkySilhouette: "Awwwww thanks you guys! Anyway, here's a short chapter with extra sugary fluff! (To make up for the rapidly approaching angst cloud) Happy reading! Remember, creative downfall!" :D**

 **Chapter 4: Vanishing Bleak**

Rouge stared at Shadow, wide eyed after hearing the tale he had recalled. She couldn't believe how terrible it sounded... but maybe that was why she had felt drawn to the hedgehog. Rouge was a pretty caring individual, after all, her friends had taken to calling her "Mama Rouge".

"Man, that whole thing was kind of creepy, I mean, really, what kind of person would lock a little mobian up like that?" Rouge cocked her head to the side, confused and deeply disturbed by the entire story.

"I don't know", Shadow absentmindedly stroked the white fluff on his chest, looking off into the space behind Rouge's head. "What do you think it means?"

"Well... come on. If we're going to go into a full-on discussion I need a cup of tea. Want some?" Rouge was already on her feet, holding out her hand to help him up.

"Sure", came the reply, the red and black speaker taking the hand offered.

The two made their way to the kitchen, where they set about making the steaming hot beverage. Shadow was watched the boiling water, while Rouge busied herself with the task of finding her lemon balm leaves. Together they then proceeded to pour the water into the waiting mugs, smothering the herbs in scalding hot H20.

"Mission: Lemon Tea, now complete", the ivory bat stated, chuckling softly to herself. She led Shadow over to the dining room table and sat down, encouraging him to do the same.

After seating herself, Rouge looked up from her mug and sighed lightly. "Shadow," she spoke softly, just above a whisper, "you asked me what I think your dream meant. Do you want to know?"

Said hedgehog lifted his head and gazed a Rouge with bright crimson iris's, full of wonder, fear, excitement, and most importantly, but also most fragile, was trust. Shadow had found someone he felt he could trust. "Yes", he said, also speaking in a hushed tone of voice.

"I think it means you've been through some stuff, probably more than anyone should have to go through. I think it means that you will continue to gradually remember these events, painful or not. But I also think it means that you will need support in order to deal with these memories and be able move on. That means you need friends, people you're able to depend on when you need it. I want to be your friend Shadow, but you have to let me." Rouge stopped and took a sip from her mug.

Shadow, though, was a bit taken back. They had gone from talking about a disturbing memory to healing and friendships quickly, and he was still processing exactly what Rouge had said to him.

"You want to be my friend?" he asked, still slightly baffled. As far as he knew, no one had ever wanted to really be his friend.

Rouge nodded, and then, as the black hedgehog was staring back at her, leaned over slightly and gently kissed him on the cheek. She then rather quickly sat back in her chair, face red, but also quite pleased with herself.

Shadow in the other hand, he was surprised, and then embarrassed. He turned away, trying hard to hid his profusely blushing muzzle. Rouge had already seen him though, and giggled at the flustered hedgehog.

"Yes Shadow. I want to be your friend."

By now said ebony wonder was playfully glaring at the bat, knowing all to well that this was just the beginning of a closeness that seemed to be rare in his once bleak existence.

...

 **Inky: Huh, that was interesting**

 **Shadow: What do you mean, interesting?! Do you know what out of character emotional pain you've just put me through?!**

 **Inky: Yes...I am aware...**

 **Rouge: I for one, liked this chapter**

 **Maria: Yeah, me too.**

 **Shadow/Rouge: What are YOU doing here?! You're supposed to be dead!**

 **Maria: Not in this AU I am... (grins evilly)**

 **Thanks for reading! Review and comment. See you next time!**

 **NEXT UP: Wings of Chaos**


	5. Wings of Chaos

**Disclaimer 1: Several of the comeback lines and quotes in this chapter either belong to other writers or are Easter eggs from the actual franchise.**

 **Disclaimer 2: I still do not own Sonic, The other characters, or Walmart. I have a plan though...**

 **Step One: Kidnap Dr. Eggman and Sonic**

 **Step Two: Get said egg-shaped wonder to build me a mind control device and help take over Walmart.**

 **Step Three: Convince Sonic to take me for a faster than sound ride.**

 **Sonic: "That plan will never work."**

 **Inky: *Holds up chili dog.**

 **Sonic: "You can't bribe me!"**

 **Inky: *holds up multiple chili dogs.**

 **Sonic: "When do we leave?"**

 **Chapter 5: Wings of Chaos**

The sound was unmistakable. A roaring, terrifying shockwave tore through the air, knocking everyone standing to their feet.

This included a certain ivory bat and ebony hedgehog, who at the time had been in Rouge's front yard, sitting among the flowers. Apparently even a slightly grumpy Shadow liked the smell of rosemary. Now the delicate lavender blossoms quivered, shaking in effects of the aftershocks that appeared to be originating from the town square.

"Whoa! What was that?" Rouge yelled, the ground having been ripped out from underneath her.

"I haven't a clue," grumbled Shadow, who, when the wave hit, had been already sitting, causing him to go tumbling head over heels. This left him in a more or less ticked off state.

Rouge had turned to look at her ebony friend, but when she did, she burst into peals of laughter. Shadow was covered in ivy, strands of the greenery trailing down from their new home in his quills.

At this point, said grumpy hedgehog was no longer glaring daggers, but broadswords. This made Rouge laugh even harder.

The ivy was abruptly evicted.

Shadow couldn't help but crack a smile at the hysterical bat in front of him. No matter how grumpy or sullen he was, Rouge always managed to cheer him up, even if she was just being her usual cocky self.

The duo's merry laughs and fun where suddenly cut short when another ear-piercing shockwave rolled through, promptly knocking both to their rumps.

"All right, all right. Enough is enough!" Let's go see what's causing all this ruckus! Rouge said in a _very_ fake western accent.

The other could not have agreed more, although he did not say it. Shadow did not particularly enjoy being thrown to the ground, and as the disliked action had already occurred twice this morning, the dark hedgehog sincerely wanted to put a stop to it.

The two set off towards the center of town, Shadow running and Rouge flying.

As they neared their destination, the duo began to hear crashing and banging coming from nearby.

" _ **TAKE THAT YOU UGLY TRASH HEAP!"**_

Shadow's sensitive ears swiveled to catch a loud male voice, carrying over the noticeable distance between the hedgehog and the owner.

"Hey Metal! _**YOU'RE TOO SLOW!"**_

Another voice, slightly higher in pitch, but male as well, reached the black hedgehog.

' _Who is that?'_

As things work out, Shadow got his answer sooner rather than later. He and Rouge entered the town green to find a robot and a group of various Mobians fighting. It was a bit of a funny sight at first, but after a moment the gaining side became clear. The robot was winning.

"Come on Shadow, let's help them out." Rouge called, remembering the way her spiky companion had handled the robot problem back at the lab.

A loud "humph" was all the bat got in answer, as the robot had taken notice of them and was coming fast. And hit Shadow on the nose.

Or that was what _would_ happened if a certain blue blur hadn't come out of nowhere and knocked it out of the way.

 **To be Continued...**

Just kidding!

Back at the town square...

Although the blue hedgehog had provided a good distraction, the robot doppelgänger seemed to have shifted its priorities to attacking Rouge and Shadow. In the heat of the moment, no one noticed how odd that was.

"Hey! Get out of the way!" The blue hedgehog glanced over at Shadow, clearly worried that this bystander would get hurt.

"He'll be fine," Rouge spoke up. "He took out a whole platoon of badniks!"

The other hedgehog's eyes grew wide, surprised. This black hedgehog had done _**what**_ _?!_

Just then, the robot they had been fighting had decided now was a good time to attack again. It flew at the group, hands outstretched to grab Shadow's neck.

The sound of a high-heeled boot hitting metal rang through the air.

Rouge had launched herself at the robot, leg held out, foot poised to strike. She aimed with quick precision.

But the robot was quicker.

It reached out and grabbed her leg, swinging her around and throwing her at a building wall. Everything seemed to move in slow motion for Shadow, seeing his only friend about to die. But then blue hedgehog raced over faster than the naked eye could make out, and caught Rouge, saving her from possible death.

' _How dare that hunk of metal try and hurt Rouge like that!'_ Shadow thought.

Something in the black hedgehog's crimson orbs seemed to snap, and a red aura shimmered to life around him. He calmly lifted a hand and a bolt of golden spear-shaped energy appeared in his hand. Shadow then proceeded to throw this crackling projectile at the azure robot with deadly accuracy.

It hit home, moving through the already partly damaged robot with a terrible grace, tearing the circuits and wires inside to mere shreds, tattered and frayed.

Shadow stood still, eyes wide, panting hard. He stared at the robotic corpse, and then at his hand. Then back again. He was quite confused, wondering how on Möbius he had managed to attack the robot without even moving.

"Shadow?" Rouge's voice was shaking, slightly scared. The menacing light had already faded away, but the effects it had on the others hadn't. "What happened?" she asked.

I-l- l don't know. Shadow was equally surprised. " _Did I just?..."_

Shadow never finished his question, as he promptly blacked out.

 _ **To Be Continued...**_

 _ **Welp, I successfully made Shadow look like both a badass and a confused hedgie at the same time. I'm officially awesome.**_

 _ **Shadow: WHY! WHY ME?! ALL THIS OUT OF CHARACTER EMOTIONAL PAIN!**_

 _ **Inky: Shadow...**_

 _ **See you guys next time!**_


	6. Wings of Chaos II

**Hi! The song I listened to while typing this was;**

 **Cosmo Sheldrake - The Moss**

 **I would recommend looking it up on YouTube, and ether listening to it before you read the chapter or while you read the chapter, whichever you like.**

 **Anyway, I'm back and IN FULL FORCE BABY!**

 **So, my dear readers, prepare yourselves AND your hearts for the incoming massive out-of-control angst storm with multiple overdramatic flashback scenes. COMING SOON TO YOUR** _ **PREVIOUSLY**_ **PEACEFUL INTERNET BROWSER IN THREE, TWO, ONE...**

 **Chapter 6: Wings of Chaos II**

 _Shadow was chasing a yellow hedgehog, a girl. They were both laughing and were playing together, running through a deep green, piny smelling forest. The raven colored mobian was just about to reach out and grab the back of her blue dress when he heard a loud noise behind him._

 _He slowly turned around to look at whatever was behind him, but suddenly, everything went black._

...

"Shadow? Shadow can you hear me?"

Rouge had rushed to her friends side, quickly looking him over. There seemed to be nothing wrong on the outside, but he had been out longer than if he had just fainted.

"SHADOW! WAKE UP!" the albino bat had in the meantime turned to more effective tactics, as the ebony hedgehog in her arms began to blink his large crimson eyes open.

"R-Rouge? Is that you?" he sputtered, apparently still recovering from his energy outburst. His black ears perked up on seeing his best (only) friend.

"Yes Shadow, it's me," Rouge responded, her azure eyes lighting up with joy because her friend was ok, but at the same time they darkened with sadness seeing the confusion and pain in the voice of the other. "Are you ok?" she asked, looking worried.

The black ears drooped, as their owner shifted into a more comfortable sitting position. "Yeah, I think I am," Shadow mumbled.

" _Hey!"_ The speedy blue hedgehog they met earlier was coming over to them. "That, my friend, was a pretty impressive use of Chaos energy. Might I ask what your name is? I already have one copy of myself," he nodded towards the crumpled robot, "and I don't think I could handle _two_ fakers."

"My name is Shadow. And I look nothing like you!" Shadow lowered his eyelids halfway in exasperation.

"Speak for yo'self," The azure other said. "My name is Sonic, Sonic the Hedgehog!"

...

Rouge recognized Sonic, remembering that when she had first met Shadow she had compared his speed to Sonic's.

"Your that hero that's been destroying the badniks that keep trying to take over the village recently right? "she asked.

"Yep. The one and only," Sonic answered. A loud " _ahem_ " was heard from the background, and the blue hedgehog quickly added "But I don't do it by myself. These are my friends, The Freedom Fighters."

Several other mobians stepped out from behind him, including a red echidna, a pink hedgehog, and a chipmunk.

" _SOOONNNIIICC!"_

The dramatic moment was shattered as a small kitsune and an equally sized rabbit came flying in. Literally. The fox cub was twirling his twin tails in a spiral, keeping him airborne, while the rabbit was doing the same with her large floppy ears.

"Tails! Good to see you! What's up?" Sonic glanced at the fox.

"Sonic! I'm so glad I found you! Infinite is at it again and... Hey is that that you Shadow? Didn't you go to the Dark side or something?"

Sonic's head snapped up, eyes squinting in suspicion. "How do you know his name? You two haven't even met yet."

Suddenly, a _VERY_ ticked off looking purple-haired girl appeared out of nowhere. "Tails, get out of here! Go back to your own side of the web!"

"How did you just... Wait isn't this 'Sonic Forces?'"

"No Tails, Cream, this is a FAN-FICTION."

"Oh. Then who are you? An OC?" The two flying mammals dropped to the ground, still staring at the girl.

She smirked and her red and yellow eyes flared. "I'm the Author," she announced proudly, "and if you don't get the heck out of my story... well just look at the version of you that's already here."

Forces Tails looked over at AU Tails, who was currently crossing his eyes.

"AHHGGGH!" Forces Tails and Cream turned and leaped at their web portal, disappearing after he ventured through.

The girl turned towards the now normal acting Tails. "Good Job Tails! Now everyone, let's do this again, but no more interruptions ok? Scene 50, take 3! QUITE ON THE SCREEN!"

 _Back in the real fan-fiction..._

"Sonic! The badniks may be gone for now, but we need to barricade the town! High Alert! Anything! We need to... " Tails didn't get to finish because Sonic interrupted him.

"High Alert? But we only do that if... someone's trying to steal the Master Emerald, aren't they?" He ended this statement with a grumpy scowl, showing how irritated he was with the situation.

" _Yes!_ Sonic, there's this man coming, and he has more of those robots we've been fighting! I think he's the one behind all of this!"

"Tails, Tails, calm down, there's still time to get everything ready, ok? Now we need to..."

...

" _Calm down Terios. That was only a taste of the power I possess. Now it's time to sleep. That's it, little one. Sleep well, for tomorrow new things lie."_

...

"...we need to set up the defense walls and make a checkpoint at the entrance of town. Then we can arrange to send out scouts at intervals to see if the enemy is any closer or is still camping out," the blue hedgehog pointed at the speck of black on the horizon.

"We'll help too."

Everyone turned to look a Shadow, who hadn't spoken since the second time he had slipped off.

"We'll help too. Right Rouge?" he shrugged, knowing the empathetic would agree.

"Yeah! Of course we will!" Rouge pumped her fist in the air, a huge smile on her face. "Let's show this jerk just who he's dealing with!"

...

 **Well. How did you like it? DID you like it? What did you think of my prank? HAPPY SUPER EARLY APRIL FOOLS Y'ALL! The best pranks are the ones no one expects! Comment and review so I can find out what you thought of it all!**

 **Next up: Shards of the Past**


	7. Shards of the Past

**HIIIIIIIIIAAAAAAA!**

 **ITS ME! And I'm back at it again! Hooray for everyone!**

 **My dear, dear darlin's, this chapter will contain the aftershocks of a certain massive out-of-control angst storm with multiple overdramatic flashback scenes. THAT CAME TO HUANT YOUR** _ **PREVIOUSLY**_ **PEACEFUL INTERNET BROWSER IN THREE, TWO, ONE...**

 **Also, this chapter takes place a few days after chapter 6, and it's snowy. Why? It's a slightly post apocalyptic world, anything is possible.**

 **Chapter 7: Shards of the Past**

"So, Shadow, my dark spiky friend, how are you doing?" Rouge asked, approaching the subject carefully, knowing that Shadow was a bit sensitive. In the last couple of days he had only blacked out twice, but he was always really spooked afterward.

"I'm O.K.," he said, glancing out at the snowy forest they were entering. It seemed foreboding, sinister in nature, but at the same it beckoned to him, calling to come and explore. It was a strange feeling, and the ebony hedgehog wondered why he was getting it at all. It was just trees, right? Just trees.

"Shadow, did you remember anything else?" Rouge furthered, hoping to understand her friend a little better.

"Well, I just keep seeing this yellow hedgehog, but I never catch her face. And sometimes I hear a voice, saying " _Calm down Terios. That was only a taste of the power I possess. Now it's time to sleep. That's it, little one. Sleep well, for tomorrow new things lie."_

"Creepy! Anything else?"

"Not really, although I do see random flashes sometimes, without blacking out. Sometimes it's this person standing in the shadows, with a mask in his hands. Others it's an Emerald shard, a violet one. And then... once, it was...," Shadow trailed off, not really wanting to finish the thought.

"Was what Shadow? You don't have to tell me, but I'm just curious," Rouge looked a little worried, thinking maybe she had pushed too far.

"It was me. I was smaller, and didn't have my red stripes. In fact, I looked much like a younger Sonic, with black fur and pointier quills." Shadow appeared a bit confused, uncertain of how his appearance as changed so much.

Rouge thought to herself, knowing full well that mobian's sometimes changed on the outside when going through puberty. But she had _never_ seen it on this level. No, the younger version of her friend seemed to be all black, with sharp downward pointing quills.

The Shadow in front of her though, had red stripes, and upturned quills, something she admitted to never having seen before.

"Rouge! Look!" Shadow was currently jumping out of his fur, pointing to something purple that glistened in the snowy light. In fact, it was almost glowing.

"Shadow, is that...," Rouge never finished her sentence, because her spiny friend had reached for her hand, and succeeded in grabbing it, pulling her along. They reached the glimmering object in no time, and Rouge's suspicion was confirmed. It was a violet Emerald shard, sparkling in the soft snow.

"Rouge, this is...," Shadow started, clearly disbelieving.

"... the Emerald shard from your dreams." Rouge breathed, just as surprised as her ebony companion.

...

"So, what do you think?" asked Shadow, who was fingering the bright purple gem fragment, totally mystified.

The ivory bat shrugged, mostly because of a loss for words. "Honestly? I'm just as stumped as you are."

"Hmmm,... was the only reply Rouge got, as the two sunk into their own thoughts while they walked back into town from patrol duty.

After awhile, Rouge held up a finger.

"I know! Let's take it to Tails, he knows a lot about the Emeralds, so maybe he can help us."

"Ok," said Shadow, not really knowing what else could be done.

Just then, as they stopped back in the town square, a loud cry broke the two from their conversation.

 _ **FWOOSH!**_

A yellow blur came out of nowhere, and crashed into Shadow from behind, almost knocking him over.

When he looked up at what was currently holding him in a bear hug, Shadow saw it was a blonde hedgehog.

"Umm...? I'm sorry, do I know you? he asked nervously, not used to a lot of physical contact from anyone except Rouge.

The golden hedgehog looked up from her activities, slightly surprised, and then blushed profusely.

"I'm so sorry," she winced, keeping her eyes closed. "I thought you were someone I used to know." Just then she opened her eyes, and then she actually took a good look at the male in front of her.

"Sh-s-shadow? Is that you? After all these years?" she stuttered, her deep ocean blue eyes widening.

"I'm really sorry miss, but how do you know me?" Shadow asked, very, very confused.

The girl looked crestfallen, raising her face to look Shadow straight in the eye.

"Don't you remember your sister?"

 **Alright, that's a wrap! Like, comment and review!**

 **Shadow: Expect every other week updates!**

 **Next up: Here we Stand.**


End file.
